Carpet securing strips



June 21, 1960 M. R. MILLER CARPET SECURING STRIPS Filed March 24, 1958 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Mf/PLE 71. M/LZH? June 21, 1960 M. R. MILLERCARPET SECURING STRIPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 24, 1958 AVEINVENTOR. Nffilf 7P. M/ALf/P United States Patent CARPET SECURING STRIPSMerle R. Miller, Harrington, El.

(5314 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago, Ill.)

Filed Mar. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 723,512

4 Claims. (Cl. 1616) The present invention relates to carpet securingstrips, and is particularly concerned with carpetsecuring strips of thetype adapted to be secured to the floor adjacent the Walls of the roomfor the purpose of engaging and securing the carpet, which extends overthe strip to the wall at the baseboard or the quarter-round in case thequarter round is not removed and replaced over the carpet.

The present carpet securing strip is of the type often called tackless,for the reason that it is not necessary to drive tacks through thecarpet from the top to secure the carpet, since prongs, which may be inthe nature of tacks, have their sharp ends extending upwardly from thestrip, engaging the fabric of the carpet without projecting through thepile; and the prment strips are preferably of the pre-nailed type, inwhich the strips are already provided with the nails extending throughthe strip at regularly spaced points and used for securing the strip tothe floor.

When the floor is concrete, holes are preferably drilled and filled withwooden dowels in position to receive the ends of the nails; and when thefloor is of wood, the nails are driven directly into the wood.

One of the. disadvantages of the tackless carpet strips of the prior artnow on the market lies in the fact that carpetsare of differentthickness, and those who install the strips are not always informed ofthethickness of thecarpet; and the strips of the prior art do not permitofJ-adjustment after installation of the stripping, for differentthicknesses of carpet.

Also, the carpets secured according to the prior art are not alwayssufiiciently secured; and Whenever furniture located away from the wallis moved toward the wall, it tends to drag the carpet with it toward thewall, sometimes unhooking the carpet which has been installed accordingto the prior art. A

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improvedcarpet securing strip of the class described which permits theadjustment of the strip on the floor .by sliding relative to the nailswith which it is secured. Another object of the invention is theprovision of an improved tackless carpet securing strip of the prenailedtype which carries the nails that are to secure it to the floor, thenails being so located on the strip that the strip may be driven closerto the wall to clamp the' downwardly, turned edge against the baseboardor quartier-round or other part of the wall, no matter how thick thecarpet is and so that the carpet may be tightened at any time andfastened more securely than in the devices of the prior art.

7 Another object of the invention is the provision of a plurality ofpractical forms of pre-nailed carpet securingstrip, all of which areslidably adjusted on the nails after they are driven into the floor, andall of which are adapted to hold the carpet in the position in which itis finally secured by driving the improved securing strip toward thewall to clamp the extreme end of the carpet ice against the wall andsecure the carpet more tightly on the prongs of the strip.

Another object of the invention is the provision of improved pre-nailedtackless carpet strips which are simple in construction, which include aminimum number of parts, which may be manufactured economically, andwhich provide for better securement of the carpet against the wall,baseboard, or quarter-round than in the devices of the prior art.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improvedpre-nailed, tackless carpet strip which is equally adaptable for use onwooden floors and concrete floors, and'which may also be used forsecuring carpet which is installed on stairs or in halls, either in theform of a runner or from wall to wall, and which holds the carpet moresecurely and gives a more snug appearance.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and the accompanying drawings, in which similarcharacters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the severalviews.

Referring to the two sheets of drawings accompanying this specification:a

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a wallto-wallcarpetinstallation, utilizing my improved carpet securing strips;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through the floor,wall, and carpet assembly, embodying my invention, with the carpet inthe position which it assumes when the tightening is completed;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, with the strip and carpet secured onthe strip, but before the final tightening and securing of the carpet;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View in perspective of one end of a carpetsecuring strip of the type shown in Figs. 2 and 3; a

Fig. 5 is a view' similar to Fig. 4 of a modificationp Fig. 6 is afragmentary top plan view with the heads of the nails omitted, taken onthe plane which is coincident withthe top 'of the strip in Figs. 4 or 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on theplane of theline 7-7 of Fig. 5, looking in the di rection of the arrows;

Fig. "8 is a fragmentary sectional top plan view of a modified form ofpre-nailed strip taken on a plane coincident with the top of the strip,looking downward, and omitting the heads of the nails;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary top plan view of another modi fication, in whicha metal insert is corrugated to provide a plurality. of nail grippingportions.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of the line1010 of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 11 is a view in perspective the pre-nailed strip of Fig. 8.

Referring to Figs. 1-4, Fig. 1 shows a corner of a room with thetwo'walls 20, 21 provided with baseboards 212, 23 and quarter-round 24,25. The carpet stripping may be of any desired length, but is usuallysupplied in four footlengths and may be cutoff when required to fitinside the walls ,of the'room.

Under ideal conditions the carpet is installed before the quarter-roundis applied or the carpet maybe installed after removing thequarter-round so that in such cases the quarter-round may be applied tothe baseboard after the carpet has been provided in such size that itextends. up against the baseboard; and the strips are located underideal conditions close to the baseboard so that the qnarter-round islocated above the strips and prongs. g

In many cases, the quarter-round is not removed-be cause it would bebroken and split and'would have tojbe wholly replaced;- and in manycasesthe carpet is installed of the nail retainer of against the side ofthe quarter-round, as shown in Fig. 2, in which case the quarter-roundis of no assistance in holding the carpet on the prongs; and thecurvature of the quarter-round makes it more difiicultto securethecarpet tightly against it. i

Thepresentsecuring strips are adapted to belusedboth when thequarter-round isjnot removedand when the quarter-round is removed; andthe present strips are very advantageous under the most adverse.copditions when the quarter-round is not removedand replaced above thecarpet. I

The carpet securing strips are indicated at. 2 6 and 27 in Fig. l nailedon the floor 28, which supports a floor pad 29, extending up to thecarpet securing strips; and the entirety is covered 'by the carpet 30.

While the present securing strips are preferably made of plywood, theymay also be made of strips ofplastic of suitable thickness, width, andlength. 7

Figs. 2-4 and 6 illustrate .one preferred form of my carpet securingstrip, which is shown in perspective in Fig. 4 and indicated by11111116131311. All the carpet securing strips described herein arepreferably made of thin plywood, which may have three layers or plies,the upper layer 32 and the bottom layer 33 having the grain extendinglengthwise, while the middle layer 34 extends crosswise of the length;and these layers are secured together under pressure and heat bywaterproof glue or resin to form what is known as the outdoor type ofplywood because it does not disintegrate by. moisture. This isimport-ant because water may find its way through the carpet into theplywood, disintegrating it if it were not of the outdoor type. j

The carpet securing strips may be of auydesired width, such as, forexample, one inch, and of any desired thickness, such as, for example,one-fourth of an inch, the thickness bearing a relation to the usualthickness of a pad 29 the edge 34 of which is brought up against therear straight edge 35 of the carpet securing strip, in which this edgeis formed at right angles to thetop and bottom, the top being indicatedat 36 and thebottom at 37. j

The walledge 38 of the carpet securing strip flis'preferably beveledupwardly, presenting a sharp upper, edge 39, which is adapted to clampor pinch the carpet against a quarter-round, even though thequarter-round curves toward the carpet securing strip below the edge.39.

' The carpet securing strip" 31 preferably has a multiplicity ofdiagonally extendingprongs 40located at regularly spaced points andarranged in two rows or series so that the prongs 41 in the outer roware staggered with respect to the prongs 40. V

' The prongs extend upward and'are arranged to slant toward the edge 39,that is, toward the wall so that the fabric 42 of the carpet 43, hearinga pile '44, mayjhave tits fabric portion impaled on the prongs 40,41;and the pull on the carpet, which is exerted by'the carpet itself aftertightening, tends to pull thecarpet more tightly on. the prongs. 7

These prongs may be in the. nature of tacks of suflicient length anddriven diagonally into the bottom of the carpet securing strip 31 sothat their heads 44 are embedded in the bottom of the strip, forming adiagonal recess, leaving nothing to project from the bottom of the.strip in so far as the heads of the tacks 40, 41 are concerned; V

All of the different forms of'strips described herein preferably includethe structure which has been described sofar; r p

The strip 31 is preferably of the pre-nailed' type. The present carpetsecuring strips are preferably ofthe prenailed type; that is, they aresold with their nails secured in the strip; butthey may also be soldwith the nails detached. 7 i

Each length of strip is provided with a plurality of narrow saw slots45, 46 located at regularly spaced points position relative tojthenails.

and sufficiently narrow relative to the shanks of the nails 47 so that anail may be driven into each slot 45, 46; and the nails will make aslight depression in the walls 48, 49 of each slot 45 sufiicient to holdthe nail 47 at the point Where it is driven by friction.

The length of the tacks or prongs 40 is preferably such that the prongsproject through the fabric 42 of the carpet 43; but they are locatedwell below the top of the pile 44.

The length of the nails 47 is preferably such that the nails may extendthrough the strips 31 and into the floor 28 sufliciently to provide afirm anchorage for the strips 31.

The heads of the nails are indicated at 50; and they are adapted to bearon the top 36 of the strips and may, if necessary, be embedded slightlyin the strip 31, if that is necessary to hold the strips 31 in adjustedposition.

The friction between the bottom. of the head andthe top of the strip 31and between the shank 47. ofthenail and the walls of the slot 45 issufiicientto hold the strip in any adjusted position. The nails 47areinitially located'at that end of each slot 45 which is closest to thebeveled edge 38, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, or when the strip is nailedto the floor, the nail is also located'at the left end of the strip inFig. 4 so' that'the strip 31 may be .spaced from the quarter-round 24and the carpet may be installed and cut and turned down-about the sharpedge 39, providing a carpet portion-51which extends down between thequarter-round 24 and the beveled edge 38 to be clamped thereby.

After the carpet has been secured, strips located as shown in Fig. 3,and tightened for a reasonable'amount, the carpet may be furthertightened by using a carpet tightener or other tool by driving againstthe edge '35 of the strip and forcing it toward the wall, the strip sliding on the nails 47 from the position of Fig. 3 to that of Fig- 2.

With such a structure the carpet may be fastened more securely, evenagainst quarter-round; and the strips may be located without the woodstripper knowing the" exact thickness of the carpet because the presentstrips may be adjusted after the carpet is hooked on the prongs anddriven tightly against the wall. M r r 7 v Referring toFigs. 5 and 10,these'are views'ofj a modification of the carpet strip of Fig; 4, whicharesimilar in every respect except that each of the securing-nails 47 isprovided with a washer 53 located onthenail between the head 50- and thecarpet securing' 'strip As available securing nails may'ihave'relatively small heads, the washers 53 give an increased bearing'surfac'e on the top of the wooden'strip and provide increasedresistancein the way of friction for'holding the carpet tight after the strip hasbeen adjusted .to' the position of Fig. 2.

All of the other parts of the strip of Fig. 5 maybe the sarne'aspreviously described.

Referring to Fig. 8, this. is a view similar 'to Fig; 6 of amodification in which theslots in the-wooden strip 31 have beenenlarged,'but havebeen provided with metal retaining members 54 forholding the ,nails in adjusted position in the strip; and for'holdingthestrip inadju'sted The metal securing member 54 isshovvnin perspectiveinFig. 11; and it may comprise a sheetjsteeliorjjspring bronze memberwhich is of a sizeto fit in' thejen larged slot 55, where it is'held bythe laterallyprojecting sharp prongs 56 and 57 driven into the wood;fromthe top. These prongs are pointed and tapered on their lower edge,where they are also sharpened; and they are punched out of the metalwhich forms the member 54 L 7 This strip is formed with acylindricalportion 585at one end and a cylindrical portion 59 at theother end,

these being of a size to nail 47 or 47a.

receive and the shank ofv a Between the nail recesses 57;. 58: the: body'ofithe member 54 curves inward at 60 on one side and curves inward at61 on the other side, but it is open at 62. The thickness and resiliencyof the metal strip is such that when the strip is secured by nails, thestrip may be caused to slide on a nail in the position 47a (Fig. 8)until the strip is in the position of Fig. 2 and the nail is in theposition indicated at 47 in Fig. 8.

The restriction at 60, 61 tends to hold the nail in its initial positionat 47a and to resist movement of the strip from the position of Fig. 3to that of Fig. 2; but the member 54 aids in holding the strip afteradjustment in the position of Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 9, this is a view similar to Fig. 8 of anothermodification in which an enlarged slot 63 is provided with a sheet metalmember 64, which may comprise a pair of similar members, each of whichis provided with a prong 65 and a body having a plurality ofcorrugations 66, forming a plurality of places for holding the nail.

For example, there are four partially cylindrical recesses within whichthe shank 4-7 of a nail may be held. This permits the adjustment of thecarpet securing strip to three additional positions by moving it fromits first position, which would be equivalent to Fig. 3.

The metal members'54 and 64 are made of light resilient metal and arepreferably shorter than the thickness of the plywood strip; and therecess therein, which holds the nail, has a frictional grip on the shankof the nail so that the strip may be a pre-nailed strip.

The strips may also be used to secure runners or wallto-wall carpet uponstairs. In securing the carpet on stairs, a short piece of the securingstrip should be used at each of the lateral edges of the runner or solidcarpet on the tread; and a similar short strip may be used on eachriser.

The main securement of the carpet on the stair is by using a securingstrip with downwardly directed prongs on the riser at the bottom, closeto the corner formed by riser and tread, and another on the tread withprongs close to and directed toward the riser in the same corner. Thusthe carpet will be drawn tightly into the corners of the stairway at theback of each tread and the bottom of each riser.

It will thus be observed that I have invented a plurality of differentforms of carpet securing strips, all of which can be caused to engagethe carpet more tightly, after the carpet is secured on the prongs, andall of which permit the clamping of the edge of the carpet tightlyagainst the wall or quarter-round.

With the present securing strips the stripper need not know the exactthickness of the carpet; and the carpet is not likely to be pulled edthe prongs by the moving of furniture toward the wall.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, manymodifications may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details ofconstruction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes withinthe scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A pre-nailed carpet securing strip, comprising a narrow plywood stripof thickness substantially equivalent to the thickness of a carpet padto be used with the strip, said strip having a multiplicity ofdiagonally extending upwardly projecting prongs turned toward the edgeof the strip, which is to be adjacent a wall and adapted to be embeddedin the fabric base of a carpet to secure the carpet without projectingabove the carpet, and a plurality of headed nails extending through saidsecuring strip and frictionally held thereby, with their heads locateduppermost on the same side as said prongs, for engaging the top of thesecuring strip, said securing strip having a transversely elongatedparallel sided slot about each nail shank, said strip being backwardlyand downwardly beveled at the edge toward which the prongs POlllL'iOprovide a clamping edge for pinching a downwardly turned portion of thecarpet to be clamped between the wall and the strip, the said parallelsided slots comprising saw cuts narrower than the diameter of the nailshanks for clamping the nail shanks in a strip preliminary to its use.

2. A pre-nailed carpet securing strip, comprising a narrow plywood stripof thickness substantially equivalent to the thickness of a carpet padto be used with the strip, said strip having a multiplicity ofdiagonally extending upwardly projecting prongs turned toward the edgeof the strip, which is to be adjacent a wall and adapted to be embeddedin the fabric base of a carpet to secure the carpet without projectingabove the carpet, and a plurality of headed nails extending through saidsecuring strip and frictionally held thereby, with their heads locateduppermost on the same side as said prongs, for engaging the top of thesecuring strip, said securing strip having a transversely elongatedparallel sided slot about each nail shank, said strip being backwardlyand downwardly beveled at the edge toward which the prongs point, to

provide a clamping edge for pinching a downwardly turned portion of thecarpet to be clamped between the wall and the strip, the said nailshaving their shanks located in that end of the slot which is adjacentthe clamping edge of the clamping strip so that the carpet may besecured on the prongs and thereafter tightened by driving the striptoward the wall.

3. A pro-nailed carpet securing strip comprising a narrow plywood stripof substantially the same thickness as the carpet pad to be used withit, said strip having a multiplicity of upwardly extending diagonalprongs projecting from its upper surface and sloping toward an upwardlybeveled clamping edge which is to be located toward a wall, said prongscomprising tacks driven diagonally upward through the strip from thebottom and projecting upwardly from the top of the strip sufiiciently toengage and hold the fabric of an overlying carpet without projectingfrom the carpet, said strip having a plurality of transversely narrowparallel walled through slots for slidably supporting the strip onsecuring nails which are frictionally secured in said slots in positionto be driven into the floor, the said through slots being saw cutsnarrower than the diameter of the nail shank for gripping the nail shankin rounded portions of the slot formed by the driving of the nails.

4. A pre-nailed carpet securing strip according to claim 3, in which thesecuring nails are initially mounted in the slots at that end of theslot which is toward the beveled edge of the strip, thereby providing amaximum adjustment of the strips on the nails.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS745,220 Miller Nov. 24, 1903 2,631,327 Roberts Mar. 17, 1953 2,677,145Adams May 4, 1954 2,821,714 Kent ct a1 Feb. 4, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS770,279 Great Britain Mar. 20, 1957

